Vogt, Freiman to Miss Cactus League Games: Updated

In two games so far Marcus Semien, Mark Canha, Ben Zobrist, and Jesse Chavez have shined. This week’s victories over San Francisco in Cactus League play have gotten the Oakland Athletics feeling quite good about the start to 2015.

There are two players, however, who will be left out of the fun.

Catcher Stephen Vogt has yet to appear in any spring games due to injury, and first baseman Nate Freiman sat out yesterday.

Vogt had surgery this offeason to repair a fracture in his foot and even when he returns to game action it won’t be in his familiar catching role.

Vogt's confident he should be able to get in games sometime next week, likely at DH to start. Foot's progressing well.
— Jane Lee (@JaneMLB) March 5, 2015

Update: Vogt has been cleared for catching duties, per Jane Lee of MLB.com.

Stephen Vogt will start at catcher in Monday's game. Thought was he'd have to ease his way in at DH but he's already been cleared to catch.
— Jane Lee (@JaneMLB) March 7, 2015

Freiman went 1-for-2 in the first game of spring training, but sat out yesterday and may miss a couple of weeks due to a back strain.

Freiman has a muscle strain in his back and is expected to be out at least two weeks, Melvin said.
— Jane Lee (@JaneMLB) March 5, 2015

It is unclear when Freimanr will return, but we know this has implications for how the roster is constructed once the regular season starts. Freiman may already be behind Canha on the depth chart at first base, as Susan Slusser noted last week.

Melvin indicates that Mark Canha is ahead of Nate Freiman for backup spot on roster. Canha a Rule 5 player, as Freiman was in 2013.
— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) February 26, 2015

Canha, wearing the familiar number 20, blasted his first home run of spring training yesterday.